Dynasty Financial Partners Launches RIA Consulting Arm via Optima Group Acquisition

Dynasty Financial Partners has announced the acquisition of Optima Group, a strategic advisory firm, to anchor its newly formed management consulting division, Dynasty Consulting Group. This move integrates Optima’s four decades of expertise in growth strategy and brand development with Dynasty’s existing technology and capital infrastructure for independent registered investment advisors (RIAs). The expansion signifies a major push into the professional services space for the wealth management platform, which currently supports over $125 billion in assets under administration.

The acquisition of Fairfield, Connecticut-based Optima Group allows St. Petersburg-based Dynasty Financial Partners to formalize its management consulting capabilities through the creation of Dynasty Consulting Group. Optima Group, founded in 1979, brings over 40 years of experience advising wealth managers, family offices, and fintech providers on identity and marketing execution. Under the terms of the deal, Kenneth R. Hoffman, president of Optima Group, will lead the new division as its head, joined by the full Optima team including Managing Director Ellen H. McKay and Director of Client Strategy Peter K. Ward. The consulting services will be offered both as a standalone service and as an extension of Dynasty’s broader RIA platform.

This transaction represents Dynasty’s most significant investment in management consulting to date and follows a series of strategic expansions, including a partnership with private investment platform Allocate and a collaboration with Diamond Consultants to support billion-dollar breakaway advisor teams. Dynasty has been aggressively building its service ecosystem, having launched Dynasty Investment Bank in May 2023 to capture RIA merger and acquisition activity. As of late 2024, the firm supports more than 725 advisors and manages over $125 billion in assets under administration. The investment banking arm has already completed more than a dozen transactions involving M&A, recruitment, and strategic advisory deals.

The new consulting group aims to provide RIAs with structured assessments and growth roadmaps that cover leadership development, marketing, AI-powered tools, cybersecurity, and tax planning. Shirl Penney, CEO of Dynasty Financial Partners, noted that the addition of Optima’s intellectual property in branding and strategy creates a powerhouse partnership when combined with the firm's existing investment banking and capital support. CFO Justin Weinkle further emphasized that the goal is to provide advisory firms with the same level of strategic rigor they offer their own clients. For the consulting and advisory sector, this move highlights the increasing convergence of financial platform services and high-end management consulting as RIA firms seek specialized expertise to scale in a competitive market.